A National Deficit in Candlelit Vigils
Where is our compassion! Sure, we’ll soon admit lots of Syrian refugees, but mostly of the Christian persuasion. The shame in overlooking those who would enrich our multiculturalism with their heritage of insularity, head-lopping and misogyny is palpable.
Multi culti haute coutureHarrumph! We can’t be outdone by the “Krauts”, if our esteemed German friends and allies will pardon that rude expression. I say bring in a million Syrian refugees tout de suite. What’s this measly 10, 12, 20, or 40,000 all about? Where is our compassion? Richard Di Natale and Sarah Hanson-Young, you should be ashamed to low-ball our duty in these tragic circumstances.
My circumstances are not what they were. Marital difficulties, which I prefer to avoid detailing, have severely dented my prosperity. I now live in what the real estate guys call a one-bedder. Nevertheless, I am willing to take in two Syrian families. We can sleep in shifts. I would of course require (fairly) modest compensation from the government. Even better, I will move out entirely and allow three families their living space, slightly cramped though they will be. Of course, the compensation would need to be somewhat higher and it would be only reasonable if I were provided with spacious accommodation in the Hilton during the time of, shall we call it, my sacrifice for the benefit of humanity.
Would my immediate neighbours object to living in close proximity to three families of Syrian Muslim refugees? Surely they would not. For example, I am confident that the lady next door would not object to dressing modestly and donning a hijab to avoid upsetting her new neighbours. Though, I admit to not having broached the subject with her. In the unlikely event she was beset with any troubling doubt or discomfort about it, I would advise her to ask herself what the aforementioned Sarah would do?
As it stands, we are stuck with Mr Abbott’s mean-spirited policy. He only wants to bring in 12,000 refugees (only slightly edging out Bill Shorten who gets the wooded spoon in the compassion stakes). To boot, he wants to only take women and children and families from persecuted communities living in refugee camps. Come on, Mr Abbott, we know that means mainly Christians, with the odd few Yazidis and the like, thrown in to make it look even-handed.